Jazz, chamber-music, dance and more: Under the direction of Martin Wollesen, innovative program has thrived

When Martin Wollesen was brought onboard at UC San Diego to head ArtPower! in 2004, his goal was to expand and enhance the cultural life at the sprawling La Jolla campus — and beyond. n He has largely succeeded in that quest by focusing on an array of creative mediums, rather than just one or two. He has also repeatedly taken chances in his annual programming, the better to develop an eclectic, multigenerational audience with an appetite for aesthetic adventure.

As a result, while ArtPower! has featured such major attractions as performance-art pioneer Laurie Anderson and punk-rock-superstar-cum-award-winning-author Patti Smith, it more often showcases lesser-known, but equally notable, performers from around the world.

Accordingly, the series’ upcoming 10th anniversary season includes such major artists as progressive chamber music icons the Kronos Quartet and jazz organ legend Dr. Lonnie Smith. But the emphasis, as in previous years, is on performers who are making their San Diego debuts -- at least 16 in the coming season. (Here's the entire 2013/2014 lineup.)

They include the Danish String Quartet, Australia’s Sydney Dance Company and Malian singing sensation Fatoumata Diawara. Then there’s noted percussionist and UC San Diego music professor Steven Schick, who is no stranger to ArtPower! audiences. His Feb. 27 “Schick Machine” performance will feature his area debut playing a room-filling instrument that combines an inverted pipe organ, a 10-foot Japanese koto, sheet metal wings and more.

“It’s been a huge benefit for San Diego to have Marty, with his level of sophistication, curating these events. The level of dance and music he’s brought has been extraordinary,” said UC San Diego alum Bonnie Wright, who in 1995 founded her Fresh Sound Music Series here to showcase cutting-edge music.

“He’s really helped expand the arts in San Diego and brought artists to campus who wouldn’t otherwise come. When I started Fresh Sound, it was to bring things I learned about on campus into the community. Marty does it the other way around, bringing the community on to the campus.”

Praise for Wollesen’s work is also offered by Bobbie Gilbert, a retired La Jolla marriage and family therapist who is on the boards of the National Conflict Resolution Center and the American Civil Liberties Union. She and her husband, Jon, were so impressed with the quality and diversity of ArtPower! that they quickly became donors to help underwrite the programming.

“We read about it in the paper right after it started, decided to go, and have been going ever since,” Bobbie Gilbert said.

“Marty is so intelligent, and he’s always experimenting and trying new things. I love the quality of the events, the international flavor, and the fact that each season has music, dance, spoken word and so much more. By supporting ArtPower!, I’m able to support the arts and education at the same time.”

Constantly pushing the envelope, Wollesen has had chamber music groups play in student dorms, launched a Foovies (food and movies) series, and created a new on-campus venue — the now 5-year-old Loft — to augment other ArtPower! performance spaces.